Growing Darkness
by tenderflowers
Summary: An evil has descended on the world of the Avatar. An evil that he and his friends cannot defeat alone. Can a mysterious boy from the forest help them succeed, or only hurt them in the long run? Legend of Zelda/Avatar crossover.
1. A New Beginning

Just a few things I want to clarify before the story begins:

1. This Link is the Link right after the end of Majora's Mask, who is also from Ocarina of Time. Cause that's the only two Zelda games I've played, and really know about.

2. Link doesn't really have a personality in the games, so I've taken some creative liberties in terms of that~

3. And I've written a bunch of chapters ahead of time, so it should be updated weekly. Hopefully, anyway.

That's it. Enjoy~

---

"Are you sure you don't want to stay for the carnival?" A small scarecrow-like being said while he dropped a large bag in front of a boy. He knelt down and searched through it, occasionally pulling out a weapon and examining it closely.

"Yes I'm sure." He said finally, fingering a boomerang that he had drawn out. He looked up at the Skull Kid after putting it away and closed the bag using a string wrapped around the. "Is this all you stolen from me?"

The Skull Kid nodded, but refused to meet his eyes like he was still guilty from the incident. "That should be... Are you really going to bring all that along? It seems cumbersome."

"I'll be fine." He tied the bag to Epona's saddle before climbing on the horse himself. He turned to his new friend and his fairies, unsure on how to bid them farewell.

Saying good-byes were hard. Even to someone that almost destroyed this land, to someone that helped him prevent that catastrophe, and to her brother. In the end, he just gave them an acknowledging nod and spurred his horse to gallop forward.

"Bye Link! I hope you find your friend!" The Skull kid and the purple fairy shouted after him. The yellow fairy said something different.

"Link!" Tatl almost flew after him. Who knew that she can grow so attached to someone in three days? Even three repeated days.

"... Thank you."

---

Link had some time to think when he stopped by a pond to let the young filly have a drink. This was roughly the same place where the Skull Kid, possessed by that mask, stole his stuff. Where his quest to save Termina begun. It was amusing to him that he was now a hero of two realms. Especially since he started his second adventure during his search for a beloved friend.

Would he have to save another? He couldn't imagine yet another world, much less one that needed a hero like him. The boy wouldn't turn away a call for help though, if he heard one. He was just like that.

Maybe the Skull Kid was right. About his equipment that he carried with him. Maybe Link didn't need all these weapons and masks. Especially the masks. The four that he brought with him were useful in Termina, but not exactly very pleasant. Did he need their help outside of that world? He couldn't bring himself to throw them away though. He felt like discarding them was disrespecting the souls that made the masks and their unique power.

While Epona rested, Link went through his bag again, afraid that he left something behind. If he did, he had no way to get it back. As far as he can tell, his entrance into Termina was an accident, never to be repeated again.

He had his bow and arrows, regular and magical. His bombs and some bombchus stored in a separate bomb bag. His hookshot from Termina and his boomerang from Hyrule. His collection of bottles, some empty and some filled with potions. His various magical spells and objects. His wallet full with Rupees. And he had the supplies he needed for a long journey, like food and water.

His most important possession in the bag however, was the Ocarina of Time. It was a gift from Princess Zelda and the only thing he has, besides his memories, to remember her by.

It saved his butt several times too. He had to play the Song of Time in Termina in order to reverse the three day cycle he was on, so he could save all the giants before the moon fell. He briefly wondered why the song didn't have that property in Hyrule, or whether it worked like that in other places, but then decided that it was best to leave those questions unanswered.

"Are you ready to go?" He patted Epona's side while tying the bag to her saddle again. She whinnied in response and he promptly climbed up on her.

Link had no idea where he was heading. All he was actually doing was wandering around in the forest, hoping to find a clue to the whereabouts of his friend. It wasn't exactly efficient, but he had nothing to go on, so this was the best he could do.

Where was Hyrule? The forest he was roaming in now was part of the Lost Woods, though it extended past the country's boundaries and he was sure he passed that before he stumbled upon Termina. It was a vast place, too massive to be charted on a map. So could he find his way back home, if he ever wanted to? Or was he stuck here, to be forever wandering among the trees? And he knew what happened to people that got lost...

The thought didn't scare him. He was certain that he was going to find his friend sooner or later. And then he'll be able to go back home...

Link didn't know how long he was riding forward. The sun he relied on to keep track of time wasn't visible above the treetops. And it seemed like in this endless sea of leaves and wooden trunks, time had no meaning here. No matter how much of it had passed, he would be seeing the same thing over and over again.

It dulled his mind. He couldn't remember much about the time he spent travelling in the forest. All he could remember was trees, trees, the occasional stop to rest, and more trees. It felt like he had be going on for days, though perhaps that's only what it felt like. Perhaps, in reality, he had spent only a couple hours on the move.

That didn't matter much to him. He wasn't thinking about that at all when a gust of fresh air blew through the branches and around him. It definitely came from outside the forest, which meant that they were near the exit. Rejuvenated by the breeze, Link spurred Epona to move faster, so they could get out of these woods already.

---

The boy never felt so relieved to see the sun above him, a dusty road in front of him, and no trees around him. For a moment, he thought that he had gotten himself permanently lost and would never be able to leave. But he proved himself wrong!

This place definitely wasn't Hyrule or Termina though. The air had an entirely different smell, and the landscape looked more... exotic? Foreign? He couldn't come up with the right word to describe it, but he knew that it wouldn't hold anything familiar.

Would his friend be in this strange land? Somehow, he doubted it, but he should look around anyway. And he was tired of walking around in the forest. A day's rest here would do him and Epona some good.

After taking a break for food and water in the nearby meadow, Link rode on along the road. It should lead to some place civilized, and he didn't feel like sleeping out in the open. And if the town wasn't friendly... then... well, he'll deal with it if that's the case.

He didn't ride on in silence for long. After a couple of minutes, he heard a strange squawk and saw something coming towards him on the road. He gripped the sword on his back in case it was hostile, but as it came closer he saw that it wasn't.

It was just... odd. The beast looked like a cross between a large bird and a horse. And on it was another person, who was gawking at Link like he was gawking at the strange creature.

"What's that you're riding on?" The man asked and pointed a quivering finger at Epona.

"I could ask you the same question." Link replied, a little dumbstruck. How could anyone not know what a horse was? Unless he was secluded in a forest inhibited by fairy children, everyone in Hyrule knew what a horse was.

That's right. He wasn't in Hyrule anymore.

"This? My girl's an ostrich horse! She's dead useful in carrying goods and people! Why do you have that funny thing instead?"

The mare snorted in disgust at the unintended insult. Link patted her side and tried not to glare at the man. He might've done so anyway.

"She's a horse! She's probably better at carrying stuff than your... ostrich horse!"

The man leaned in closer, staring at her in disbelief. "A horse? Just a plain old horse?"

"Yeah..." This conversation was getting weirder by the second.

He straightened up and harumphed. "Never thought that it was real. Wait til I tell the folks back at home I saw a real live horse. And a strange boy riding on it! They'll get a kick out of that!"

"Uh-huh." He tried to not let those words bother him. "Do you know anything about the town this road leads to? Is it friendly or- Hey! Wait!"

Before he finished his sentence, the man laughed loudly and dashed away, leaving a cloud of dust for Link to cough on. Well, if there was someone coming from it, then it probably was safe. He had a bad feeling about this place though...

---

The sun was setting when Link rode into town. No one attacked him, or stole his stuff. That was a good sign. He breathed a little easier as he looked around, though he still was waiting for something to happen.

The town faintly reminded him of Kakariko Village, in a way. Maybe it was the houses, or maybe it was the people out and about without any worry. He found it comforting, even if the bystanders were looking at him strange.

Did no one here really know what a horse was? He urged Epona to keep on moving forward and ignore the small crowd that was starting to gather around them.

He really needed to find an inn of some sort to stay the night in. And to find out where he was. It was hard to do both since he couldn't read any of the signs hung around, which he found odd since he could apparently speak their language.

All the staring was making him awkward. Link decided to dismount and lead his horse though the small town instead of riding. It didn't do anything about the dumbstruck people still around him, but it didn't make him feel like he was sticking out like a sore thumb.

There was a stable nearby, although it was for ostrich horses rather than normal horses. And when there was a stable, there was usually some place to stay in for the night.

He was relieved that Epona didn't protest when he brought her closer to the unusual animals. He let her drink from the water troughs and rest up while he looked for the owner of this place.

---

"Why hello." An old man peered down at Link, his tone flat from the lack of interest. "Are you looking for a room for your parents? I don't have much room for a family."

"No." He hated it when people assumed that he was travelling with his parents. But he had to keep his tongue in check if he wanted to stay here tonight. "I'm looking for a room for myself. Do you have one?"

The innkeeper gave him a quizzical look, like he didn't quite believe him. "Yes I do... if you have the money for it."

The money! He was travelling in an entirely different country, so they would have an entirely different currency. And he didn't know what it was, though he had a feeling it wasn't Rupees.

"Er..." Link grabbed the wallet on his belt and looked through it. He didn't have a lot of Rupees either. Grabbing the biggest one he had, a red Rupee, he placed it in front of the man and shrugged.

His eyes grew wide and his mouth was slightly gaping when he realized what was in front of him . He closed it as he picked up the gem and examined it in the light. Then, after he had gotten over the initial shock, he tucked the Rupee into a bag and smiled at the boy.

"I believe that's enough for a room." He said, his eyes glittering with the prospect for more jewels. "Do you need any... food? Another pillow? We can be more accommodating... with another one of those gems."

"I'm fine." Link didn't like the look in his eye and gripped his bag tighter.

"Are you sure?" The old man looked a bit disappointed but he kept up his 'accommodating' mood. "Well, your room is on the second floor, the second door on the left. If you need anything, just tell me..."

He nodded and walked out of the conversation as quickly as he could. He was considering looking for another place to stay, but he already paid for the room. He pretty much had to use it. And the inn itself was nice and had some vague feeling of home.

"Oh and..." The innkeeper's voice made him stop in his tracks. "That is your... mount... out there in the stables, right?"

"Yes." He replied with irritation before heading up the stairs. Was Epona going to get this response all the time for everyone?

---

That was over with. Link wasn't as good with interacting with shifty people as he was with killing monsters, and the experience was always more a pain for him. He was really starting to doubt that his friend was in this world at all, but he had to check at least. And that itself would be amusing. Would he be asking these people if they've seen a floating ball of light passing through here?

The boy was aching and tired from horseback riding all that time in the woods. He was glad to be able to catch some sleep in a bed for once, though it didn't come too easily. While he usually slept with his sword and shield on his back, he left them propped against the wall near his cot and his bag near the door. There shouldn't be any danger here in this inn that he couldn't handle without his weapons. He didn't sense any, in any case. And he was good at sensing danger, especially those associated with monsters.

Link yawned and tried to fall asleep. It was hard to do so in a strange land though, in a strange house, with strange people nearby. He stayed silent and listened for anything that might ease him. The crickets outside were soothing. And the whinny of Epona was familiar and comforting. But the squawks of the ostrich horses weren't exactly...

He yawned again and closed his eyes. Focusing on the sounds he had heard before at home helped him calm down, helped him get over the prospect of being in this new world. He could feel his mind drifting off and soon he was falling asleep...


	2. Trouble

Loud squawking from outside woke the boy up from his deep sleep. He instinctively reached for his weapon that was strapped to his back, but only grabbed air. It took a couple minutes to realize that the strange noises were in fact ostrich horses, that they weren't a threat, and he had placed his sword and shield next to his bed.

Besides the abrupt awakening, Link had a good night's sleep and was ready for the new day. As he placed his sword and shield on his back and prepared for the upcoming journey, he came up with a list of things he needed to do.

1. Find out everything important about this land. The important people here, any customs that must be followed...  
2. Get breakfast and more food.  
3. Change some of his Rupees to the currency used here, so he wouldn't have to deal with any situation like last night.  
4. Start looking around for his friend, or any clues as to where she would've gone...

Learning to read the language here was up there, but since he wasn't going to be here for long, he figured that he didn't have to spend too much time understanding something that he might never see again after this.

Getting food and facts about here went hand in hand. If there was a market here like the one in Hyrule, he should be able to listen into conversations and pick up everything he needed to know, along with food. It didn't look like there was one in this small town but there should be a bigger city nearby...

That was strange. He was sure that his bag of weapons and supplies was by the door last night. And now it wasn't. He sighed and searched the room for the sack. Maybe he was so tired last night that he misplaced his bag.

It wasn't anywhere in the room though. He checked a second time, and a third time, and there was still no sign of it.

Oh no.

Did it get stolen _again?  
_  
Damnit! Just when he had gotten it back from the Skull kid.

At least he still had his sword and shield, for some reason. Whoever stolen his stuff must not have noticed them by his side when he was sleeping, or didn't dare come close enough in fear of waking him up.

It didn't make the situation any less worse though! He would have to ditch his plans for today and find the thief before it's too late. Late, being the time when the various magical objects and dangerous weapons were discovered. The thief could break them, use them and hurt himself, or use them to hurt others...

Link should've gone with his instincts and not stayed in a shady inn like this! If people died because he was careless, he would never forgive himself.

Rushing out of his room and down the stairs, he at first looked for the innkeeper. He didn't like how he eyed the gem when he showed it to him, so it was a safe guess that he was the one that stole his bag.

But he was no where in sight. Not at the counter, not in the hallway, not in any of the rooms that left their door open.

"Hey! Who are you, looking around in other people's rooms?"

A woman with pointy eyebrows and a loud voice shouted at him when he peeked inside her room. He stepped back in surprise but wondered if she might know something.

"Do you know where the innkeeper is? It's important!"

She crossed her arms across her chest and pressed her lips into a frown. "He usually goes to Ba Sing Se this time of day, and he'll come back sometime tonight. Why do you ask? What do you want with him?"

"Ba Sing what?" Link responded, completely ignoring her other questions.

"Ba Sing Se! The capital city of the Earth Kingdom! Don't you idiot tourists know anything?" She said, on the verge of screeching.

Well now he knew where he was. But didn't anyone here have manners? Sheesh!

"Wait!" The lady was about to shut the door on him, but he stopped it before it closed. "How do I get there?"

"Take the biggest road out of here that's heading towards the east. A lot of people are going there, so you can't miss it! You should be there by this afternoon if you're smart enough!" She pushed his hand away and slammed the door so hard that the floor shook beneath it.

"... Thanks." He grumbled and blew a strand of hair out of his face. If he ever came back to this town, he wouldn't stay here. That's for certain.

---

When Link went outside to check on his horse, he found that she was skittish. Skittier than usual, anyway. She wouldn't even let him near her without a kick in the face.

"Hey Epona! It's me! Link! Don't you recognize me?"He tried to get closer but had to jump away when a hoof whooshed past his ear.

She was acting a lot like when they first met, except she didn't run because of all the tethered ostrich horses around her. He didn't have his ocarina either, so he couldn't play the song that he and her previous owner used to calm her down.

What could have happened to make her act this way? He approached her from the front but she kicked the water trough over and soaked him.

"Ack!" This day was getting worse by the minute! He had to soothe her somehow, without an ocarina, or he can't go to Ba Sing Se and get his stuff back!

Link stepped over the trough and stroked the side of her neck. Epona's ears went flat and she tried to get his hands off of her by snapping at him.

He knew how the song went, even without an instrument. So he hummed it, just loud enough for only the mare to hear. His pitch wasn't perfect, but it was close enough, and soon she stilled herself and nuzzled his cheek.

"I'm glad you're back too." He was relieved to see that his humming worked and went over to put on her saddle. "I don't have any food for you though. My stuff got stolen. So you'll have to eat the straw in here."

At least she could eat the straw. He was reminded of his own empty stomach, which he couldn't fill because his food and money got stolen! He'll have to go hungry until he could get them back.

As Epona chomped on the straw, a boy younger than Link walked over and straightened the tipped-over water trough.

"Is that your animal mister?" He asked in a high pitched voice as he filled it with water.

"Yes..."

The stable boy glanced up at him with admiration, like it was impossible and awe-inspiring that someone as young as him could own something like Epona.

"There were some people here late at night... They tried to take her away. But she bit dem, kicked dem, and in the end, they gave up."

No wonder why she was so afraid of him! It was obvious that his stuff wasn't enough and they tried to steal his horse too! And it wasn't just the innkeeper that was on this...

"One of dem left this behind. Do you want it?" The boy toddled over to him and handed him a folded sheet of paper.

Link unfolded and stared at it blankly. Of course it would be in the language he couldn't understand.

"What's this for?" He showed it to him and after a few minutes, the kid shrugged in response.

"I dunno." He said. "It's about the Kaiguri Market in Ba Sing Se. That's all I can tell. And I dunno what _that_ is... You can't read, mister?"

He shook his head and tuck the paper into his tunic. It looks like that's where the thieves were going, and that's where he'll be going to.

"Thanks for telling me what happened. And the paper." He climbed onto Epona and smiled at the boy.

"You're welcome mister." He waved as he rode off. "And see ya!"

---

The trip to Ba Sing Se wasn't very eventful. Though he did see a lot of people travelling to the city, like what the woman in the inn said, they seemed to be occupied with their own matters. They stared at Link and Epona as they passed by, but they didn't comment on either of their peculiarities.

One person, a male teenager on an ostrich horse, did approach him and glanced them over when he was closer.

"Nice horse." He said, nodding and smiling.

Finally someone knew what a horse was without him saying so! "Thanks."

"I thought they weren't real, or very rare and elusive if they were. Like a myth." He continued to talk. "Where did you get it?"

"From a friend..."

He stared at him like he didn't believe that. "Really? How?"

"It's a long story." Link glanced away from the person and at the side of the road. The rocks here were more fascinating than the ones back home.

His smile was dampened a bit by the short sentence but he didn't leave yet. "You're going to Ba Sing Se, right? It's still a long way there, we have plenty of time."

He looked up at the teen, then at the horizon. He could see a faint silhouette of walls and tall buildings, which he assumed to be the city. It did look like it was far away though.

"You're a secretive little guy, aren't you?" He said when he didn't say anything. "That's alright. I guess all stories don't have to be told right away. What's your name? I'm Sumoshi."

"I'm Link." Well, it was a good thing to make friends with the people here, especially if he was going to find out anything.

"Link? That's a... unique name." He nodded a bit. "Where are you from?"

"Hyrule. It's a far away place..." He expected him to question more about his strange home country, but Sumoshi just let out a quiet 'ah' and stared straight ahead.

"I don't think I've ever seen such a kingdom on a map, but you did say it was far away..." His eyes gained some sort of wistful quality. "I wish I can go to places like that. Any place but here. I've lived here all my life, and I'm tired of it. That's why I visit Ba Sing Se a lot. There's so many interesting people there, like you."

Link decided to take that as a compliment.

"I don't suppose you've been there before?" He continued on, despite his lack of response. "Ba Sing Se is a huge city. It's easy to get lost in. Even though I've been there so many times, I still get confused by all the winding passages and enormous crowds of people...

"There aren't so many people around though. Not so much now. Ever since monsters started appearing."

Monsters? That got his attention. The boy turned to Sumoshi, who laughed at his sudden interest.

"With your sword and shield, I figured that you were some kind of warrior, even if you're so young. And warriors are always interested in strange, unusual enemies. I guess you're no exception."

"Actually, I am. A bit. You can say monsters are my speciality." Link smiled, for the first time in this conversation. He wondered what kind of monsters have been in Ba Sing Se. Were they ones he would know about? He doubted it.

"But..." He just remembered why he was going to the city, besides monster slaying. "My stuff... um... Do you know what this is?"

Link didn't feel comfortable telling a complete stranger that his stuff was stolen. But he had been listening to Sumoshi ramble, and if he had been to Ba Sing Se many times, maybe he would have an idea as to what the paper he was given was for.

He showed him the sheet. The teenager stopped his ostrich horse and read it over, his face turning pale while he did so.

"You... You should stay away from there." He mumbled, handing it back to him. "It's... full of bad people. People you don't want to mess with. Unless you're one of them." His eyes narrowed as he said that.

"What? No! Do I look like someone that goes there?" He said on impulse, then shook his head. "I mean... I don't even know what the 'there' exactly is."

"The Kaiguri market? I don't know much. It's a black market. Mostly for stolen goods." Sumoshi sighed. "I also heard rumors that the monsters are originating from there but... it's probably just rumors. I don't think so."

Another place that sold stolen things? He had enough of that in Termina, but if there were monsters there, along with his stuff, then he really can't avoid it.

Seeing the look on Link's face, he shook his head and held up the reins of his ostrich horse. "I can't convince you otherwise, can't I? Fine. Just don't involve me... please... I don't want any trouble."

Before he could respond, Sumoshi flicked his reins and sent his mount running forward, leaving the boy behind.

Progress was being made. Not only did he know who stole his stuff, he also knew where it was and what was going to happen to them if he didn't get there in time!

The fear of losing everything caused him to spur Epona to go faster. She sense the urgency in the air and started to gallop towards Ba Sing Se.


	3. At Ba Sing Se

Ba Sing Se was a huge city. Even bigger than Hyrule Castle, which he thought was impossible. But he was proved wrong as he rode Epona up to the outer wall.

It was way different than Hyrule Castle too. There was farmland in between the two walls that made up the city, which a proud resident told him could sustain it during a siege. The person also told him that he should visit the zoo, which was also in between the walls, since it was popular with kids like himself.

Link managed to brush him off by asking him where the Kaiguri Market was. It looked like even thinking about that place brought trouble, as he shuddered and left him without another word. Even though he could've used a guide like him, he figured that he was only sticking around and telling him stuff to mooch some money off of him. Which he didn't have, because no one would tell him where the market was.

He thought that Hyrule Castle was nicer than what he was seeing though. The moocher told him that he was in the Lower Ring, where the poor people lived. The buildings and streets were dirty and run-down to reflect that. He was also told that there was a Middle Ring and an Upper Ring, where the middle class and higher class lived respectively. Someday, he would visit there if he had time, but the black market most likely would be in the Lower Ring. He had to be an adventurer on a quest to get his stuff back, not an idle tourist that wanted to gawk at every unusual thing.

Speaking of gawking, Link was being gawked at more here than in the village, or on the way to the city. Perhaps it was because he was riding something, and that was seen as a symbol of wealth. Ironic, considering that he didn't have any money, just like the people here.

And he was hungry. Normally, it wasn't an issue because he could always find money in the grass or random pots. But there was no grass here, and he had a feeling that he shouldn't break the pots.

All he had was the clothes on his back, his sword and shield, and Epona. He definitely couldn't sell any of those for food. Maybe he could work for it instead? He was against that idea when he thought of it, but it seemed like a logical thing to do. Black markets usually weren't open until nighttime, so he had plenty of time to feed himself.

Where was he going to get food and work though? It didn't look like any business around here were hiring ten year old kids from a place called Hyrule, even for one night. In fact, it didn't look like anyone was hiring at all. It seemed like no one wanted to do anything with strangers, nothing at all. Was it the monsters that were causing everyone to withdraw from the the open?

If that was the case, it didn't scare a bunch of kids and their mother away from the streets. The children ran past Link, screaming and laughing, while the middle-aged woman tried to keep up with them. He couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness, seeing something that could never have happened in his own life.

"Kids these days." She muttered while she leaned against Epona to catch her breath. The children waited for her a block away, still screeching nonsense that he couldn't understand.

"Do you need help ma'am?" He asked. The woman looked up in shock and drew her hand away from his horse, like she didn't realize what she had been resting against.

"Oh, no, I couldn't trouble someone who's only a couple years older than these tykes." She forced a smile on her face. "I don't mind their excitement anyway. It isn't everyday that the Avatar's in town, and putting on a show!"

"The Avatar? What's that?" He exclaimed as they both started walking down the street together.

"You don't know?" Her eyes grew wide in surprise. "He's the world's savior, the boy who saved the world from war only a couple months ago! That's what he does, and sometimes entertains these kids for free. It's better for them to watch him than get into mischief like they always do."

That answered his first question, but a thousand more sprang up. What war? Was he really a boy, like himself? Did he actually save the war or was the lady exaggerating? He opened his mouth to ask them but closed it, seeing as she was now occupied with getting the rowdy kids in order.

"What's that you're riding on? Can I ride it?" A little girl stared into the horse's eyes in fascination, then at Link.

"Don't be asking a stranger that, Tanya." Her mother said to her over the shouting of her brothers and sisters.

"Besides, Appa is way cooler than that thing! Don't you want to ride him?" A boy crowed out. Epona glared and snorted at him, not believing that an Appa would be better than her. Whatever it was.

Link sighed and followed behind the family, patting the mare's side to ease her. Well, he had time to kill. It wouldn't hurt to check out the Avatar's show. And maybe if he was the world savior like the woman said, he would be able to help him somehow.

---

Not only were a lot of kids and their parents at the show, there were a lot of teenage girls and boys. Which made him a bit uncomfortable but he stayed.

And the Avatar wasn't the only one doing magic tricks. There was two girls, Katara the Waterbender and Toph the Earthbender, and Sokka, a warrior like himself. Sort of.

He learned their names and abilities from the people yelling at them as they performed. Some of them shouted encouragements, some of them complements, and a few of them marriage proposals.

Link was as enchanted by all the 'bending' as the rest of the audience was. At first, he thought all the gusts of air and whips of water was magic, which still would've awed him. He had never seen magic used like that. And he would think that it would be hard to, for the long periods of time they were doing anyway.

But as he heard people shouting 'Airbend this!' or 'Earthbend that!', he realized that it wasn't the magic he was used to. They were literally bending the elements that they specialized in, and they could do it without any kind of spells.

Aang in particular interested him. He didn't look like a hero at the first glance, but the way he could bend all four elements was spectacular. And he was only a couple years older than him. He would be a formidable opponent, except that Link preferred that they'd be at least allies. He looked like someone that could help.

Katara and Toph were quite amazing as well. There weren't too many female magic users in Hyrule. In fact, the only one he could think of was Princess Zelda. So he was watched them as eagerly as the Avatar.

And Sokka... well... he didn't do much that he couldn't do himself in terms of swordplay. His jokes were better than his though.

The sun had sunk below the horizon when the show was finished. Link clapped as enthusiastically as everyone else. Then he got up to check on Epona, who he had left by a bucket of water in eyesight.

In the split second he turned his eyes away from the Avatar and his friends, everyone started swarming around them. When he turned back to see if he could talk to them, he saw that he was too late. It was going to take forever for the crowd to clear up, and he rather not be among the fawning fans. He preferred to look around, now that it was around time for the shadier operations to open, and see if he can find his stuff that had been stolen...

---

Since he still didn't know where the Kaiguri Market was, he figured that the best thing to do was wander around in the 'darker sections' of the Lower Ring until he found something. Of course, he ran the risk of getting mugged or something similar, but the worst that can happen from that is being delayed. And who would attack a person with a sword, shield, and a horse, even if he was a little boy?

There were few people out on the streets in these areas. The people that were wandering about were older men and women. No families of giggly children like during the day. They only glowered at him for a second before hurrying away, gaze turned to the ground.

That was a relief. But with each passing second, he grew more and more anxious. What if he didn't find the place? This was a big city, it could be anywhere. Not just in the Lower Ring, not just in the desolate alleyways.

He started to notice more and more signs hanging over doorways, and of course he couldn't read them. But he pulled out the sheet of paper and started comparing the symbols on there to the ones on the signs. There was no match with the first couple of characters, but the second ones were the same on many of them. If this language was similar to Hylian, then all these signs were indicating markets of all sorts inside. He was getting close.

A match! Link stopped in from of a building that was larger but just as shabby as the ones next to it. He checked the symbols on the paper and the sign again just to make sure it was right. It was.

Leaving Epona outside in the nearby stables, he went inside and... was slightly disappointed at what he saw. There were people selling stuff, but they were selling normal stuff. Boring stuff. There was no sign of any weapons or magical equipment. There wasn't even a whiff of illegal activity around.

Well of course. The market he came for, the Kaiguri market, wouldn't be out in the open like this. He heard noise underneath him and figured that it was a floor down, or more.

There were stairs nearby, and a man in black robes leaning against the wall nearby. When he got close to them, he was stopped and examined with dark, piercing eyes.

Then he nodded. The man probably thought that he was a carrier kid. Someone that brought the shady stuff to the vendor, who could slip away easily if he got caught.

"Remember." The man told him as he walked inside. "No causing trouble with anyone or anything. We won't go easy on you just because you're a kid."

He responded with a quick smile. Ugh. He hated playing the role of some cute kid.

---

It was difficult not get swept away by the masses. Link had a hard time trying to see over the shoulders of the people around him, so he had to stay near the stalls and counters, where the crowds were thinner. This also presented him with the opportunity to examine the stuff that were sold, and he wasn't sure if they were exactly bad and dangerous. They were odd, that's for certain.

"Winged lemur bones! Rub them on your head to cure baldness or break them in half to make a wish." One person told him as he passed by.

"We have the finest swords from the best blacksmiths in the Earth Kingdom!" Another whispered to him. "Of course, they don't know we got them, but that's what makes them the finest."

"Hey. Forget swords. How about some bombs? Just came in from the Fire Nation army. Authentic, and guaranteed to work. Though we don't guarantee your safety." Someone showed him a round object and winked.

"ZUKO'S EYEBROWS!" A vendor shouted and shoved something in his face. "Fresh and bottled, for your convince! Carry a part of the Fire Lord with you at all times!"

Link stared at the last person for a second before moving on. It looked like most of the stuff sold here were mostly things of superstitions or stolen medicine and normal weapons. Nothing too unusual, besides the eyebrows. Nothing that would summon a crowd of people to ogle in wonder.

He decided to see what was further inside the market. When he moved towards another set of doorways, he was stopped by more men in black robes.

"Do you have a pass? This part of the Kaiguri Market is for 'special people' only."

The boy stood there speechless, wondering what they could possibly mean by a pass...

Oh! That's right. The paper that the kid at the stables gave him might be it. He pulled it out and handed it to one of the men, who glanced at it only once and handed it back to him.

"Stay out of trouble." They said as he entered.

---

Now he was looking at the more interesting goods that the market had to offer. Live animals that squawked and hissed at passerbyers. Unusual weapons that gleamed with exotic oils. Fragrant and foul smelling perfumes that filled the air. He might have even heard the cries of humans, being sold as slaves. It made him sick to his stomach, but he needed to get his stuff first before he could do anything.

People still assumed that he was a carrier, but that didn't mean that he couldn't check out the stalls and look at what was offered. Even he was impressed by the quality of the swords that he found. This world had more magic in it, in the form of bending, but that didn't mean that its people slacked off in their weaponry.

Link tried not to get distracted by all the displays though. He had to find his stuff as quick as possible. Because there's no telling what could happen the longer he stayed here-

"Hey kid." A familiar voice murmured behind him. "I got some rare and strange goods, from a world unlike ours. Look at it!"

He whirled around and his jaw dropped at what he saw.

It was the innkeeper! And his stuff adorning every inch of the stall. Everything from his bow and arrows, to his bombs, to his masks that hung from the sides and ceilings of the display. The way that they were arranged, like they were just things to be bought and sold at a whim, he couldn't wait until he could punch the guy's face in!

He recognized the boy as he turned around, and his face turned white, much to his satisfaction.

"It-it's you!" He managed to stammer out after a moment's pause. "How did you get here? You're not going... you're not going to..."

"Take my stuff back? That's what I came here for, you jerk." He ignored the man's pleas and grabbed his masks first. They would be the most dangerous in a stranger's hands.

"You can't do that!" He blurted out, and shrank back from the cold glare he received. He whined under his breath as the things that haven't been taken yet went into his bag and started running.

He didn't get far before Link grabbed his bow off the table, strung it with an arrow, and shot it into his ankle. The innkeeper fell over and howled in pain, attracting the attention of everyone in the crowded room.

He walked over slowly to the fallen man and grabbed the bag that he was clutching. It felt heavy, and when he glanced inside it looked like it had everything that was stolen from him. He couldn't tell they were all back, though. He'd have to check when he got away from this place.

"And what do you think you're doing, kid?" Another man in a black robe came out of no where and stepped in front of him as he turned to exit.

"Leaving. Seeya." Link only spared him a glance before continuing on his way. Apparently the man didn't like that and grabbed his wrist as he walked by.

"You don't steal and get away without somethin'." The grip on his arm tightened, to the point where it felt like his bones were being broken.

"It's my stuff in the first place!" He stomped on the man's foot in an attempt to get away. The blow hurt enough to make him step back and let go of his arm. He took the moment of freedom to run.

"HEY!" More bulky men appeared from the shadows to chase the boy. He was running as fast as he could but he could see that they were catching up on him.

Link went over to a stall with jars of oil and muttered a quick apology to the lady attending it before tipping all of them over. The fluid itself wasn't enough to stop them, but he pulled out his bow and concentrated...

Flames surrounded the arrow that was fired at the puddle that stretched from one end of the room to the other. The liquid was set on fire, making an effective wall between him and his pursuers. He could get away now, and he did.

"Hey! Not one of you stupid people are Firebenders?!" One of them shouted. There was a moment of silence before someone stepped forward and held out his hands. As quickly as the flames had sprouted up, they flew into a ball over his palms and vanished.

Crap. He didn't expect that to happen. He was almost at the stairs though, and at the exit. He could make it as long as-

WHAM!

Link slammed into something. Something hard. He fell over like a sack of potatoes and tried to regain his bearings quickly. The people were still on his tail, after all. They were still following him...

"The Avatar!" The men shouted and from he could see, they all scattered.

The Avatar? That person that held that show earlier? He rubbed the bruise that he got on his head and looked up. The thing he ran into was a stone wall that he swore wasn't there before. As soon as he realized what it was, it sank back into the floor, revealing a young blind girl behind it.

Toph. That was her name right? She stepped past Link as he sat there and jerked her hands upward. Similar walls appeared in front of the fleeing men, and he watched with a smile as they also ran into them and fell over like he did.

She wasn't the only one that was stopping them. Aang, the person that they were afraid of initially, deflected the various fireballs and sharp rocks flung at him as he summoned a gust of wind to blow people over. Katara bended the oil that was on the ground and used it as a whip to trip people. And Sokka was engaged in a sword fight with an opponent bigger than him, and he eventually got the upper hand and knocked him unconscious.

With the combined efforts of four people, most if not all of the black market guards were out and the attendees were forced to stay as the Ba Sing Se guards stormed in and started arresting them and gathering the stolen goods. As well as blocking the entrance, so Link was stuck with the rest of the criminals.

"Hey..." Aang walked over to him with a skeptical look on his face. "I've seen you before..."

"Really?" He was searching through his bag and making sure that he had everything.

"Yeah... you were at our show, earlier today, weren't you? How did you end up here?"

"Long story." He was surprised he recognized him, considering that looked up at him once before rummaging through his stuff again.

The boy indeed had most of his things. But there were two important possessions that were missing.

One was his wallet of Rupees.

The other was the Ocarina of Time.

"Damnit!" Link shouted and closed his bag again, the sudden outburst surprising Aang.

"What happened?"

"I..." Could he tell him what happened? He and his friends did take on the entire Kaiguri Market, but that didn't mean he trusted him yet.

"My stuff got stolen last night. I came here to get it back, and I did." He held up the bag as proof. "But my Ocarina is still gone. And my money but that doesn't matter much compared to..."

Did he know what an ocarina was? These people didn't seem to know what a lot of things were. Whether the Avatar knew or not, he didn't show it and just nodded.

"I understand. As far as I know, everyone that was here is still here, so maybe you can ask the person that stole your stuff what happened to it. I can look around and see if anyone else has it too."

He could only nod, still feeling a bit numb from the loss. His ocarina was stolen! For a second time! Why were people so interested in that, instead of his weapons, or enchanted items? To people that didn't know of its legend, he would think that it would just be a dumb instrument.

Link spotted the innkeeper from a distance and ran over to him. He saw him coming and cowered behind a broken table.

"You!" He shouted and shoved the table away. "What did you do to my ocarina?"

"You-your oca-carina?" He stuttered, fearing the wrath of the boy.

"Yes! Little blue thing with holes! You stole it from me!"

His eyes lit up as he realized what he was talking about. "Oh... Oh oh oh. I... sold it."

"To who?!" He grabbed the man by the collar and shook him.

"To... I don't know! He never gave his name! He didn't even talk! And he had a mask and hood, so I don't even know what he looks like! Honest!"

He didn't believe it. Who would go through that much trouble to hide his identity? He shook him once more, on the verge of screaming.

"Tell me the truth or I'll do worse than shoot an arrow through your ankle!"

"I'm telling you all I know! I swear! Ask other people that were nearby! They can testify!"

"He's right." Someone placed his hand on Link and pulled him away from the innkeeper. It was Aang.

"Can't you tell? He already told you everything. Why would he withhold more information?"

"Because he's a greedy bastard that doesn't care about anyone else but himself." He muttered out of the corner of his mouth. Luckily, no one heard what he said.

"We'll do everything we can to get your ocarina back. Leave it to us." He tried to reassure him. Instead of just nodding or smiling, Link scowled and pushed his hand off his shoulder.

"I can find it myself."

It was Aang's turn to stare at him. "You're not from around here, aren't you? How are you going to do that if you don't know anything about this place?"

"I'll manage." Why did he have to be so irritating? Act like just because he was the 'world savior', he can expect him to sit around and do nothing. Every minute without the ocarina meant a minute of it in danger.

"Well, at least tell me your name and where you live so we can reach you if we find it." His voice had a sharp edge, like he wasn't trying to calm him anymore.

"I'm Link." There wasn't any harm in telling him that. "And... I don't actually live here. I was staying at a nearby inn, but that's how my stuff got stolen."

"Don't worry if you live miles from Ba Sing Se. Appa can take us anywhere, don't you know?"

There was that Appa again, whatever it was. He sighed and slung his bag over his shoulders. "Not like that. It's different."

"Different how?"

"It's a long story."

He seems to like saying that. Aang sighed and continued the questions anyway. "A long story? It doesn't look like the guards will let anyone out soon. Not when they still have tons of things to record. So why don't you tell me?"

"Why do you need to know?" Link was getting tired of his persistence. He should've never left the woods in a first place.

"Because I want to help people. I want to help you. Is that really a bad thing?"

He didn't reply back for a moment. Aang could tell that the stranger was thinking about it. Who was he, really, to be acting this way at such a young age? Younger than him! It's was a bit shocking.

"Fine. Let's see if you can help me with this. I came here, out of a nearby forest, just looking for a friend of mine..."


	4. An Explaination

After he was done explaining what had happened in the past day or so, it was clear that Link didn't really have anywhere to stay. And since he would naturally be against inns after his experience with the last one, Aang decided to offer him a place in his house in the Upper Ring. Just until Link got his ocarina back and searched thoroughly enough for his friend.

He asked if there was any ties to this deal, and was just told that he'd explain things later, when they got home.

"You know, it would be nice if you at least asked for our opinions when you offer up our house to a complete stranger." Sokka said when he was told the news.

"So you're saying that we just leave him out there?" Katara glared at her brother.

"Well we can't take in every homeless kid! Especially since we don't know anything about him! He could be... he could be an evil monster disguised as a kid sent to destroy us all!"

"That's ridiculous." Toph said. She wasn't glaring at Sokka but her irritation in her voice was poorly disguise. "If that was true, then I would've sensed his lies a long time ago."

"He barely said anything about this, so what are you going to sense from silence?" He replied back, raising his arms in frustration.

It was true though. Link hadn't talked much since accepting the offer. Mainly because he didn't know what to say. Anything he said could give him a bad first impression. Like when he went berserk over the innkeeper that sold his ocarina. He was surprised that Aang allowed him into his home even after that. He'd think that any sensible person would stay away from someone that was as 'off' as him at that time.

And the blind girl could apparently feel lies. He didn't know how she could do that, and that made it weird and creepy at the same time.

"I can still sense lies, even when the person isn't speaking. In a way. If we're talking about something that makes him uncomfortable, his heart would beat faster."

This whole conversation was awkward. He didn't exactly like being in the center of attention. Would she sense that? He stepped away from Toph and bumped into Aang, who was returning from a talk with a Ba Sing Se guard.

"We can go home now. They can take care of everything else, and don't need our help anymore." He announced.

"Finally! All these nasty perfumes were getting to me!" Sokka said, sighing with relief.

"I don't know. Some of them are nice." Katara said, and everyone turned to her with an odd look. She blinked and shrugged in response. "What? I know they're illegal, so I won't try and get any!"

---

Going home wasn't as easy as it sounded. When the gang plus one went outside, they found Epona out of the stables and kicking and screaming at something. A big, furry, something.

"_That's_ Appa?!" Link stared at the giant, six-legged, flying bison in amazement.

"Yup. And that's your horse...?" Aang frowned at the way she was acting around his friend. He figured that it was a natural reaction though. When something as big as him is around, most animals tend to panic.

"Yes. Epona!" He ran over to her and pulled her away from Appa. She was still frightened, and had to be soothed by humming her song again.

After that was done, he turned to the others and found that they were climbing onto Appa already. Except Aang. He went over to Link, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"So I guess you won't be riding with us, if your horse can't come too?"

"Yeah. It's alright." He answered, climing on Epona himself. "Just... tell me where to go and I'll be there. I hope." He added the last part after realizing how big the city actually was.

"No. I'll come with you." Aang said and went over to Sokka, Katara, Toph, and Appa.

"You can go ahead and leave. I'll show Link the way home. See you there!"

After some quick good-byes from the rest of the group, the flying bison took off and he went over to him again. Link was watching them disappear into the sky, and didn't notice Aang by his side again until he tapped his staff on the ground and turned it into a glider.

"What's that?" He said, pointing to it.

"It's my glider. I use it with Airbending to fly. I'll be flying in front of you and you'll follow. Ok?"

"Uh..." Link wasn't sure how that worked, but he already kicked off the ground and soared into the air. He stared wide-eyed at him for a few seconds before spurring Epona into a run. However he did that, he was going fast.

---

The ride/flight to Aang's house wasn't long or short. But it was silent. Because the Avatar was gliding a little bit above the rooftops, not because Link didn't have anything to say. On the contrary, his mind was swimming with questions. Who is he? How did he get these kinds of power? And what kind of war did he stop, according to what he heard on the streets? He told his story, how he came into this world. He should know who exactly is his new friend.

Could he call him his friend? He was staying with him until further notice. And that was because he needed something from him, not because they managed to become buddies in the market. Whatever his reasons were, it must be pretty big if he needed him to be so close by.

When they came home, Link walked Epona to a stall off the side of the house, which was usually used for ostrich horses so it was a bit cramped. But it was either that, or the back yard with Appa. He promised her that he'd try and make it bigger, and left some straw and water for her.

"Where is he going to sleep? He better not be taking my bed!" Sokka asked as they both went inside.

"Not mine either!" Toph shouted from her room.

"You don't use your bed though." Aang opened her door and found the girl laying on the floor, like she preferred to do. "See? Problem solved."

"WHAT?!" She sat up, her face white in disbelief. "You can't be serious! I'm not sleeping in the same room with him!"

"You don't have to. You can sleep anywhere else." He replied back. He really wished he didn't have to do this to Toph, but that was really the only bed available.

"Uh..." Link stared at the distraught girl, then at the empty bed, then at her again. "I can sleep on the floor too, elsewhere, if she doesn't want to give up her room."

"No, don't feel like you have to do that." Katara appeared in the doorway with the others. "She's just a bit cranky about these kinds of issues. It'll teach her how to treat our guests properly."

"Really, I'm fine-"

Toph grabbed her blanket and pillow and stormed past everyone gathered outside her room. "Give my room to complete stranger, why don't you guys! I'll just sleep outside with Appa! At least I know that he won't kick me out!"

When the door closed loudly behind her, Sokka and Katara dispersed to their rooms after a quiet 'good night'. Aang sighed and asked Link to come inside his room.

"I was honestly alright with sleeping on the floor." He said as he entered.

"Don't worry about it. Let's talk about something else." Aang responded and sat down on his bed.

"Like what?" He sat down on a nearby chair in turn.

"Like this." He reached under his bed and pulled out...

A shield. Not just any shield. Link recognized it. It was the kind used by a certain kind of monster, a kind of monster that he thought only existed in Hyrule...

"It looks familiar to you, doesn't it?" Aang said, passing it to him so he could hold it. "I figured so. Those three triangles on it? You also have them on your left hand."

Three triangles? He didn't know what he was talking about until he looked down at the shield, and then his hand.

That's right. The Triforce. He hadn't heard them referred as triangles in a long time. They were more than that. Of course, Aang wouldn't know that.

And he must have a keen eye to see that. The mark on his hand was extremely faded. You'd have to know what you're looking for to see them.

"I know what you're thinking. But I'm not with those guys. It's actually my job to kill them whenever I see them." Link said, clutching his left hand to cover the Triforce.

"Really? You said you were an adventurer. That's what you told me anyway." Aang stared at him intently.

No one said anything. The distant chirping of crickets was the only sound in the room before he spoke up again.

"You want to tell me what you really are? What you're really doing here? I don't like secrets here."

"Only if you tell me who are you." Link retorted. "The Avatar right? What is that exactly?"

"Alright, I'll tell you, but you go first." Aang sighed.

He stayed quiet for a moment and leaned the large shield against his chair.

"If I told you everything, we'd be here until the morning. Basically, I'm Link, from Kokiri Forest. I lived there like an almost normal kid, until the Great Deku Tree summoned me and asked me to break this curse on him. I did, and then I went to see Princess Zelda. She had this plan to protect... a holy artifact that's also powerful, from an evil sorcerer named Ganondorf. I helped her, only said sorcerer was using me all along and obtained the artifact..."

Link paused in his story. He already left out specific names, seeing as they were royal secrets and it wouldn't do for someone outside of Hyrule to know them. But now he had to figure out how to explain what happened next without telling him more of his own personal secrets.

"...I had to find the Sages to help imprison him, and I did. Then there was this epic battle in his castle, I won, and he's gone. And my friend too. I told you about her. That's who I was searching for."

"That didn't make much sense." Aang said, trying to absorb all of his story. "So basically... you're a hero in your realm. Which is...?"

"Hyrule. And Termina too. That's some alternate dimension that I stumbled upon while on my journey."

He let out a quiet 'wow' and laid back on his bed. "That almost tops my life story."

"Which is...?"

"Well, I'll have to cut it short like you. Basically, the Avatar is the only person that can bend all four elements. Water, Earth, Fire, Air. Do you know what bending is?"

"Yeah, I think." Link nodded a bit. He'd seen him, Katara, and Toph doing it. So he had a faint idea what it was, and what it involved.

"That's good. Anyway, he or she is suppose to bring balance into the world, since they can bend all the elements that represent the nations. The Fire Nation, the Earth Kingdom, the Water Tribes, and the Air Nomads. Only... the Air Nomads, my people, were wiped out by the Fire Nation. They grew ambitious and power hungry and wanted to take over. Thus, the war.

"The only person that could stop that is me. The Avatar. I had to train in all four elements, and made some friends and enemies along the way. Katara and Sokka I met when I came out of an iceberg-"

"What?" He couldn't help but interrupt.

"I was frozen in an iceberg for a hundred years. That's how I survived when the Air Nomads got wiped out."

"A hundred years? You're a hundred years old?" And here he was, thinking that Aang was around the same age as him.

"A hundred and twelve, really." He said, a bit embarrassed. "I don't know how that whole iceburg thing works but anyway...

"They helped me get up to the Northern Water Tribe, where I learned Waterbending. Then I met Toph in the Earth Kingdom, who taught me Earthbending. And I had to help uncover a conspiracy about Ba Sing Se, but my friend's sister, Azula... She zapped me into a coma and took over the city.

"But I got better. I had to find a Firebending teacher, who ended up being Zuko. He was the Fire Nation prince, banished to find the Avatar and bring me to his father. He was my enemy for a while, but he changed sides. He and my friends helped me in defeating Azula, and her father Ozai, who was Fire lord and was going to use this comet's power to destroy everyone.

"The war ended only a couple months ago. Zuko's the new Fire Lord and I've just been about, with Katara and Sokka and Toph, dealing with people's problems. That's what I do."

Aang was much less vague in his story. Link felt a little bad about that, but he still didn't know if he could trust him with _everything_. Especially when he pulled that shield out of no where.

"But the stuff you do, does it deal with monsters?" He asked, indicated the shield.

"Er, nope." Aang stared at the shield uneasily. "It's been only a month or so, but they've been appearing all over the place. Here, other areas in the Earth Kingdom, the Fire Nation, even some in the poles and Air Temples. Here, in Ba Sing Se especially. That's why we were in the Kaiguri Market. We've heard rumors that they've been coming from there, and that's where we met you...

"Anyway, no one's seen them before, and they haven't been mentioned in any scrolls. Not even my past incarnations know anything about it. These monsters are definitely something new."

"Past incarnations?"

"The Avatar is reincarnated when the previous one dies. I can call upon my past lives and experiences."

Link's mouth made a small 'o' shape. There was more to him than at the first glance.

"So... you got the shield from the monster?" He said, bringing it to his lap again. These things usually disintegrated with the bodies.

"Yeah. Do you know what is it?"

"I think it's a Stalfos." Link shrugged. "Skeletal men, with swords and this kind of shield? I... really only know how to kill them, not how they're made or anything. I've heard rumors that if people get lost in the Lost Woods, they turn into Stalfos, but there's no Lost Woods here..."

Aang nodded, even if he didn't know what was this Lost Woods he was talking about. "Knowing how to kill them is good. It's hard enough for my friends and I to take them down."

"Well, what did you do?"

"Bending and stuff. It's not very effective though. It shrugs off the air attacks, water waves and whips, earth blocks and daggers. Even if it comes apart from all the pounding, it puts itself back together in no time. The only thing that works is extremely hot fire, when I can actually hit it with it, and strangely enough, Sokka's sword."

He listened to all that and thought it through. Stalfos were hard to beat, but it was doable to him, and it shouldn't be impossible for them.

"You have to destroy the bones. That's the main part." He said after a while. "Maybe it's also resistant to this kind of magic- er, bending. I've managed to kill all the ones I found with swords and arrows. And some special, more durable ones need to be bathed in light."

"Light? We fought them out in the daylight." Aang said with a skeptical look.

"No, like focused... holy light I guess." Link pulled out the shield on his back, a reflective shield with a distressed face on it.

"What's that?"

"It's a Mirror shield. It reflects light, and also magic."

"Magic?" He remembered him talking about how bending seemed like magic, or some different sort of magic than the kind he was used to. "Maybe we could reflect our bending off of that. That might be useful."

"We can experiment later." Link sighed. "Is Sokka the only person in your group that can use weapons like swords?"

"The only one that's here, yeah. Suki uses bladed fans and daggers, but she's at home training her warriors. Zuko has experience with swords, and his girlfriend Mai has knives, but they're lording over the Fire Nation. We can't call them away to deal with them, especially when they have monsters on their own."

He opened his mouth to ask who Suki is, but since she couldn't help right now, he should ask him later.

"I should talk to him then. But a tactic that works against them is to block or dodge their blows, especially when they try lunging at you, then try and hit their exposed backsides. Actually, that works with most humanoid monsters."

"I'll keep that in mind." Aang said, smiling a bit.

Link yawned, reminded at how late it was, and how much had happened throughout the day. He began looking for his stolen stuff, and here he was now, talking about how to kill monsters with the savior of this world.

"We can go to sleep for the night, if you want to." He said, noticing his sleepiness. "I definitely wouldn't mind it myself."

"Yeah. Maybe I'll remember something else when my head isn't fuzzy..." He got up and gave the Stalfos shield to Aang.

"What am I suppose to do with it?"

"Burn it. Having it around is just asking for trouble."

He stared at it, then at the boy, and slowly nodded. He kept it in case he could find someone that knew about it, and now he found that person, he could destroy it.

And what a person! He was younger than him, and did as much, maybe more. Plus the fact he came from another world... all of this was a bit much to wrap his head around. Since Aang wasn't much for alternate dimensions.

Would the spirits have any advice for this? He made a note to meet with them later, and laid down on his bed once Link left the room.


	5. Training

He awoke to the faint chatter from the other side of the door and the pleasant chirping of birds outside. Sunlight was streaming through an open window, which blinded him when he first opened his eyes. Blinking, he sat up, yawned, and stretched while listening to whoever was talking in the next room over.

"... Sure you want to do this?"  
"Yeah. I'll be fine! It's not like it was the first time I've done this."  
"But there wasn't any monsters running around back then, attacking everyone in sight. You might not be safe alone, in a temple."  
"What kind of creature would think about invading a temple? I mean, they have to have some sense of sanctity."

Link scoffed at the last sentence. Apparently they haven't ever been in any of the Hylian or Termanian temples.

"And you're leaving us with that kid! He doesn't really talk to anyone but you! What's up with that?"  
"Well, he's thinking about talking with Sokka about swords or something, so you have that to look forward to."  
"Great."

A few more words were exchanged as he slid the door open. The people that sat around the table, Sokka, Katara, and Toph, went quiet, along with Aang who was standing near the door leading outside.

"I'll be going now. See you tonight." He said somewhat cheerfully and stepped out. Leaving everyone else in an awkward silence.

"So...." Sokka was the first one to speak up. "Sit down and eat?"

Link nodded numbly and sat down next to him and Toph.

He hadn't eaten since... two days ago, he realized. Ever since his money got stolen. He was famished, yet as he stared at the bowl in front of him, he found that he couldn't eat. Not really.

Inside the bowl were... it looked like long squiggly thing, in soup. And when Katara gave him two long wooden sticks, he got even more confused.

"What... is this?" He said, indicating everything in front of him.

"It's noodles. Katara made them, but it isn't as bad as you'd think." Sokka said, receiving a glare from her. He ignored it and slurped the food up with the help of the sticks.

Link watched in awe as the older warrior drank all the soup next, then looked down at his 'noodles'. He'd never seen them before, but it smelled good. Except he didn't know how to eat this with the sticks. If he tried, he might get the broth all over himself, but he was so hungry that he didn't care.

Before he could pick up the sticks though, Katara glanced over at him, sensing his uneasiness.

"Oh, they don't have chopsticks, wherever you're from? We have some forks if you want to use that instead."

Forks! It's funny how he had missed such a thing at a time like this. Nodding, he watched as she went into another room and came back a minute later with a fork made out of bone.

"Sokka and I had a hard time getting used to chopsticks too. In fact, we'd still use forks and spoons if there weren't so many chopsticks in the kitchen." She said as she handed it to him.

Muttering a thanks, Link devoured the noodles in a flash. Everyone but Toph watched in fascination, though they didn't say anything and just continued eating.

"So Aang said you wanted to talk to me..." Sokka said after he had finished eating. "About swords?"

"Um, I guess." He shrugged and stood up. "About monsters too. Could we talk outside?"

---

"This is like a training session isn't it? Except I'm the student and you're the..."

Sokka pointed from him to Link, not exactly wanting to call him that 'm' word. Or the 't' word.

"Yeah. Sure." He shrugged and grabbed the two wooden swords that were laying against a rock. "I... don't do this on a regular basis so..."

He got the drift and grabbed the sword as it was thrown at him. "I get it. Don't worry about it."

Link nodded and pulled out his shield. "Um... Kay. From what I've heard from Aang, swords seems to work the best on these monsters, Which is true based on my experiences with them-"

"Wait. Hold on a sec." Sokka raised a hand in disbelief. "You fought these guys before? How do you know?"

"It's a long story. I'll tell you later." He said the last part after a thought. "But now... pretend I'm a monster. One of those skeletal guys, to be exact. Try to hit me."

He didn't try to, for a couple seconds, like he didn't quite believe he heard that right. "Uh, what?"

"Strike me with your sword. Don't hold back. I need to see your skill with it."

It's odd to hear such words from a little kid, and from someone shorter than him. If he closed his eyes, he could've sworn that it was Master Piandao that was front of him. Well, not exactly with his higher pitched voice.

Sokka gripped the hilt of his sword and charged straight at him. He got within striking distance and brought the wooden blade down on his head.

The strike was blocked by Link's sword, inches above his head. He then held his shield up and lunged foward, knocking the older boy over onto the ground.

"Oww!" He couldn't believe that he was basically owned by this kid. Even if he was from another world, and he didn't know what he was exactly up against.

He got up onto his knees and shook his head. "That... that wasn't fair! You used your shield, and I don't have one!"

Link was a little taken back from what he heard. "Oh. It isn't a big deal though. A shield can be a weakness, along with a strength."

"Well if you're such a great swordsman, then why don't you fight me without one?"

That was a bit much. He shouldn't have said that. The boy looked angry, but then casted that feeling aside along with his polished shield.

"Fine. If it makes you feel better." Both of his hands wrapped around the hilt. "Strike me again."

Sokka stood up and brushed the dust off of him. A straight-on attack probably wasn't a good strategy anyway. It was too obvious. Instead, he dashed forward and curved around him at the last second.

Link responded by jumping to the side and hitting his back with his sword. He groaned at the blow and fell to the ground.

"Owwwww!" He said for a second time.

"You don't have to make the first move." He told the fallen warrior. "I mean, for the sake of time, you'd have to do it now. But in a real battle, you shouldn't panic. Even when there's opponents all around you, all big and scary. Wait for them to attack, dodge or block it, then deliver your blow."

"Easier... said than done." Sokka stood up again and rubbed the bruising spot on his back. "It's not my style anyway."

"Really?" Link's eyes narrowed as he watched him. "What is it?"

"I..." He really didn't know. He tried to think back to all the battles he had been, and replied with a shrug.

"I guess I figure out how they attack, use my environment to my advantage, and surprise them with moves they'd never thought possible."

Did he nod in acknowledgement? It was hard to read any expressions on his face. He could tell that they were reaching an understanding though.

"I see..." Link glanced around the yard they were practicing in. "I can attack you now, and see how well you are at defending yourself. Defense is important, however you fight."

"Sounds fair." Sokka said, just before he saw him rushing forward, sword ready to strike.

---

The sound of wooden swords banging against each other filled the air for several hours. If the first couple minutes were any indication, Sokka was clearly outclassed by Link. He was the one that walked away with the most bruises, though he did manage to land some hits of his own.

Where did he learn how to fight like that? Sokka knew that he and Aang had a conversation last night, probably about monsters, and where he came from. If he felt like beating him up time and time again instead of telling him anything, then he would have to ask him when he got back.

The sun was high in the sky when they decided that it was time for a break. Sokka went inside for a drink while Link stayed outside to tend to Epona.

She was adjusting well, much to his relief. It looked like she slept without any trouble, despite having the big flying bison just around the corner. He gave her an apple and started brushing the dirt out of her mane.

"I don't know when we'll be leaving now." He said, still stroking her. "Aang, the bald kid? He asked me to help him and his friends out with the monsters that have been around here. I haven't fought any yet though. I don't know anything about them. What kinds there are, where they're coming from... You'll help, right? You're my only friend here."

Friend. It reminded him of why he came here in the first place. Would she mind being placed on the back burner, not being his first priority? He felt bad about it, but maybe all this is connected to her. Somehow.

He continued to talk to her and brush her when something clacked on the roof.

"Chrrr?"

Link looked up and saw a monkey. Well, he wasn't exactly a monkey. He had big ears, a long tail, and had sort of a feline aspect. He also had webbing in between its forelegs and torso, which he used to glide down closer to him.

"Um..." He hadn't seen anything like him before. Not in the short time he was here. Was he wild, and only here for a moment, or was he another pet that hid himself until now?

"Chrrt!" He said as he peered down at him. The boy stared back. No one blinked until the monkey-cat swooped down and grabbed his hat.

"Hey! What are you doing!" He shouted as he chased after him. The critter soared around in circles and loop-de-loops, until he spotted an open window and flew into he.

Link couldn't fit in there, even if he tried. He had to take the long way around and slammed the door open.

Katara looked up from the bowl of water on the table. She was doing something with the water before interrupted, because he saw it splash back into the bowl.

"What happened to your hat?" was the first thing she said when she glanced up.

"That... monkey thing stole it!" He answered before opening the door to Aang's room.

There he was! He was perched on a wooden beam on the ceiling, sporting the pilfered hat on its head. Katara followed the boy inside and tried to hide her smile when she saw him. He was cute with the hat, if not infuriating to its rightful owner.

"Oh, you mean Momo? Come down, Momo, and give him his hat back."

Did he understand her? It didn't seem like it, though he cocked his head and chrrted again. Since the hat was too big for the monkey's head, it fell down when he tilted his head and was promptly caught by Link.

"Ick. Monkey hair." He said and shook off the white strands of fur.

"Sorry about that. That's how he greets strangers. Well, only the ones that he really likes." Katara made a beckoning gesture with her fingers and patted him as he flew down and perched on her shoulder. "And he isn't a monkey. He's a winged lemur."

"Same difference." Link was too irritated to care about the right name. Placing his hat back on his head, he left the room and went to look for Sokka and ask if he would like to continue training.

And if his hat getting stolen wasn't enough, he found the Water Tribe warrior in his room, rummaging through his bag!

"What are you doing?!" He tried to pull him away from his stuff.

Sokka yelped as he was pulled back and let go of the bag. He stood up and wiped his hands on his clothes, in an attempt to look as innocent as possible.

"Don't you know? All strangers that Aang picks off the street get treated to the Sokka's Stuff Inspection. Didn't anyone tell you?"

"That's a load of lies." Link took a glance through the bag, paused for a moment, and turned his gaze back at him, his eyes shooting daggers.

"Oh really? I saw some pretty fishy stuff in there." He said, ignoring the glare. "Like this. What is this suppose to be? A spike on a chain?"

He pulled out the said item from behind his back and waved it in from of him. Link stood there, frozen with anger, then dove at him.

Before he could tackle him though, the spike shot forward at him. He managed to dodge it, but it left a gash on his right cheek and drove itself into the wooden ceiling above.

"What were you thinking?! Playing with stuff without knowing how much damage they could cause?!" He shouted and yanked the hookshot handle away from Sokka. He clicked it once and unlatched the spike from the ceiling, glad that it didn't collapse on them.

"Well why do you have that? And bombs too? Not to mention your skill with the sword." He didn't flinch at all, even when being yelled at. "I'm starting to think that you aren't just some kid we stumbled upon. Are you someone that our enemies sent to spy on us? Kill us, even?"

"You have my bombs too?!" Link ignored his questions, whirled around, and pointed the hookshot at Sokka. "Give them back!"

"What, so you can blow the house up? Not until you tell me everything!" He fidgeted at the sight of something sharp and lethal aimed at him, but his voice didn't waver.

"You can ask Aang when he gets back!" He gritted his teeth. "I'm going to ask you one last time. Give. Me. Back. My. Bombs. And anything else you stole."

"Is he the only one that knows anything? The only one that you're going to tell anything to? The only way you're getting your stuff back is to tell ME everything that I need to know!"

Link never killed a human before. He had hoped he didn't have to.

And he didn't. Hearing all the commotion from the other side of the door, Katara opened up with a sphere of water in her hands.

"What is going on?" She whispered, confused at what she was seeing. There was the new housemate, pointing a strange weapon at Sokka. And her brother, holding a bag behind his back, which she assumed belonged to the boy.

"Katara-"

She couldn't tell who said her name. She just didn't want the situation to blow up in her face, and knew that she had to be the one to diffuse it.

Covering her arms in the water, she formed tentacles that went behind each of their backs. One tripped Link over so he wasn't about to shoot him, and the other slapped Sokka's wrist to make him drop the bag.

"I can't believe it! A couple hours without Aang and you two are acting like... boys! Instead of training together, you're fighting over something that probably isn't worth it!" She cried out and grabbed the bag.

"Actually... it might be." Sokka spoke up while rubbing the red spots on his hands. "He had some dangerous stuff in his bag. I was confiscating it."

"And who gave you the right to look through my stuff?" Link sat up and felt some blood on his face. It wasn't from Katara's water whip, but from the accidental hookshot launch.

Her face softened as she realized that he was hurt. Only softened a little bit, anyway.

"Sokka, you know better than to invade someone's privacy. If he had ill intentions, he would've hurt us by now."

"True but-"

"Give him a chance to breathe. Then go through his stuff if you still desire to."

"Great." He rolled his eyes. "And you want me to sit in the corner, thinking about it mother?"

"Your room is fine."

Whether she got the joke or not, he couldn't tell. But he figured that it was best to leave the room and hostile air behind. And that Sokka did.

Now Katara turned to Link and dropped the bag she was holding in front of him.

"What's in there?" She asked, condensing the water tentacles into a small sphere.

"... Bombs. I use them for destroy obstacles, or enemies too tough to be defeated with a sword." He muttered, grabbing and stashing it under his bed. Along with the hookshot. "I would never think about using them to destroy this house, or to kill you guys. Never."

He realized that sounded rather pathetic, but he needed to convince her that he wasn't up to anything bad. After all, she did walk in and found him pointing a weapon at her brother. Even if she defended him from Sokka, it was hard to sense what she thought of him.

Katara didn't say anything. She wrapped her right hand in the water and knelt down beside Link. He jerked his head away as she brought her hand closer to his cheek, but relaxed as the water washed over the gash and started to glow. It wasn't hurting before, but he felt a sharp pain from it before completely subsiding.

"What... was that?" He said, a moment after she pulled her hand and the water away. He touched the spot where the cut should be but found it missing.

"Waterbenders can heal." She replied and stood up. "I just didn't want to see you running around with a wound on your face. That's all."

"Uh, thanks." Link murmured, still amazed at what she did. And why she did it, even though he was a complete stranger and already got into trouble with her brother.

"It wasn't from Sokka, was it? He can be such an idiot sometimes, but he's nice once he warms up to you."

"No... not on purpose anyway." He wondered whether he should tell her what happened. That Sokka accidentally fired the hookshot at Link, grazed his cheek, and hit the ceiling. But it wouldn't matter if she knew that or not, unless the ceiling decided to cave in later.

"That's good." She sighed. "I... You shouldn't be so hard on him. I mean, we have met strangers that turned out to be lunatics, and Sokka just feels like it's the right thing to check everything before trusting you."

Link got up and sat on his bed, thinking. "I understand. And I shouldn't have freaked out like that either. I guess... I've been kinda stressed out. My stuff gets stolen in the first night I'm here, and a day later someone tries to take it again."

"We're not all thieves here." Katara said, laughing a bit. "Don't worry. Things will get better as you adjust."

He nodded a bit, still lost in his thoughts. When she turned to leave, he spoke up again.

"Sokka would still be mad at me, won't he? I guess training with him won't be an option."

"No, it probably wouldn't." She gave him an apologetic smile. "You don't have to spend all your free time training though. Just relax. Maybe you can take the day to explore the city some more."

Free time. He hadn't had any in so long, it was like a foreign concept to him. When he started his full time job as a world-saver, all he ever did was eat, sleep, fight monsters, looked for dungeons, or trained. When was the last time he took a day off and tried to be a normal kid?

Link stared at the floor in thought while Katara left and closed the door behind her. He was sitting there in the dark, quiet room for a while. It was the first time in a while that he did anything not relating to any of his quests.

And it didn't last long. A couple minutes after he was left alone, he heard some commotion outside.

"Hey! Guess what? Appa's back!" That was Toph's voice.

"Already? That was quick." Katara's footsteps could be heard as she went to check outside.

"No! Listen." She exclaimed loudly. "Appa's back, but..."

"But what?"

"...Aang's not with him."


End file.
